1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods and apparatuses for displaying multiple images or pictures of data, particularly multiple images of musical score data on screens of displays.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various ideas are proposed as methods for successively displaying multiple images of data on a single screen of a display. One method is to instantaneously change over the present image with the next one on the screen, and another method is to scroll the data across the screen vertically or horizontally. According to the scroll display method, for example, an entire area of the screen is divided into multiple sections by units of lines. Scrolling information across the screen vertically, the display stops displaying an uppermost line of data which is originally displayed on the uppermost line on the screen, while shifting other lines of data upwards on the screen. In addition, new data is displayed at the lowermost line on the screen. Thus, it is possible to vertically scroll the information across the screen line by line.
It is possible to propose another idea as a method for successively displaying multiple images of data on a single screen of the display, which is described below.
First, data of multiple images are divided into data of pages (or multiple page data), each of which is further divided into data of sections or passages. Display positions are set to the data of sections respectively. The aforementioned operations are repeated to successively divide the page data into the data of sections and to set the display positions to them respectively. In order to change over data of a certain page with data of a next page on the screen, the data are successively changed over with new ones with respect to sections respectively. That is, the content of display is not entirely changed over at once but is partially changed over every section on the screen.
In contrast to the scroll display method, the aforementioned method does not entirely move the content of display vertically on the screen. In other words, the content of display is successively changed over every section from the present page to the next page.
Certain kinds of data do not substantially change contents thereof among multiple images being sequentially displayed on the screen. In other words, these data apparently resemble each other among the multiple images being displayed on the screen. Therefore, users may have difficulty in discriminating between contents of the multiple images being changed over on the screen. For example, it is possible to list musical score data that are basically configured by notes and staves, which may be hard to discriminate. That is, images of musical scores are successively displayed on the screen of the display on the basis of the musical score data. Herein, each of images of the musical score data being successively displayed on the screen is configured by notes arranged on staves in musical notation. Each image shows the same staves at the same positions on the screen whereas each image shows different notes (or the same notes). So, even when the display changes over images on the screen, the user may have a difficulty in visually recognizing a changeover of the images on the screen. Particularly, if the user watches the screen again after the user takes his/her eyes off from the screen, it is likely that the user will fail to notice the changeover of the images on the screen. If the user plays a musical instrument while watching the musical scores being displayed on the screen, it is necessary for the user to grasp successively changing contents of the musical score in real time on the screen. Therefore, the user may have a great difficulty in playing the musical instrument because of his/her inability to discriminate changeovers of images of the musical scores on the screen.
The aforementioned scroll display method partially changes over the images on the screen, however, it also has problems similar to those caused by instantaneously and entirely changing over the images on the screen. Musical scores contain different contents of musical notation, however, which may apparently resemble each other. When successively displaying similar musical score data on the screen, it is very difficult for the user to accurately detect whether the musical score data are scrolled or not.
Different from the scroll display method, the aforementioned method does not cause movement of data entirely across the screen in displaying multiple images of data on the screen. According to this method that does not move data items on the screen, it is possible to reduce the probability that the user will overlook the content of data presently displayed on the screen. However, this method causes changeovers of the images on the screen with respect to the sections respectively. As similar to the scroll display method, this method also has problems due to the user""s inability to discriminate changeovers of the images on the screen.
It is an object of the invention to provide a data display method and a data display apparatus by which a user is capable of easily recognizing changeovers of images being successively displayed on the screen of the display.
A musical score display apparatus of this invention is installed in a musical instrument such as a grand piano to display multiple images of consecutive pages of a musical score of a prescribed musical tune being successively changed over on the screen. Each of the images of the pages of the musical score is divided into a prescribed number of sections, each of which corresponds to at least a prescribed length of a staff for arranging notes in musical notation and which are vertically arranged at different positions on the screen. In addition, different background colors are assigned to odd-numbered pages and even-numbered pages of the musical score respectively.
In a full change mode, each of the multiple images of the pages of the musical score is entirely changed over page by page on the screen, wherein the background color is correspondingly changed over across an overall area of the screen.
In an auto change mode, each of the multiple images of the pages of the musical score is automatically changed over section by section on the screen, so that the background color is correspondingly changed over section by section on the screen. If prescribed positions on the screen are fixedly allocated to the sections respectively, the images of the musical score are sequentially changed over section by section without changing the positions of the sections on the screen. Alternatively, it is possible to vertically scroll the images of the musical score section by section on the screen.
Each section is changed over in content and background color when a prescribed period of time elapses, which is preset in advance in accordance with musical performance or progression of the section. It is possible to designate the prescribed time manually.
As described above, the user is able to visually recognize changeovers of the multiple images of the musical score on the screen with ease by detecting changeovers of the background colors being respectively assigned to consecutive pages of the musical score. Incidentally, it is possible to change over other styles such as background patterns other than the background colors on the screen.